Last year, DC added 9,600 residents bringing us just shy of 600,000–a figure the city hasn’t seen in nearly two decades. And at a rate of growth outpacing all but four states in 2009.
The 2010 census will provide a more official count, but the rise follows a national trend toward walkable neighborhoods and urban life that DC was slow to capitalize upon. Former Mayor Tony Williams reform efforts and 2003 vision to add 100,000 residents to the city began laying the foundation. The region’s stable economic footing amidst the great recession also cannot be underestimated in helping retain and attract new residents over the past year.
DC last saw it’s population near 600,000 in 1991. It exceeded 800,000 before the rise of the suburbs in the 50′s.
